Corrosion is a growing concern across industries and the requirements are increasing in environments where accelerating factors such as humidity, heat and air pollution are combined. The Neutral Salt Spray Test (NSST according to ISO 9227) is one of the most established methods to verify corrosion resistance. Nord-Lock Group has officially raised the corrosion resistance on all steel wedge-locking washers and promises at least 1,000 hours in salt spray test, ensuring optimum performance over time, even in the most extreme environments.

Corrosion occurs when metals come into contact with humid air or water. Corrosion will eventually weaken steel parts and can potentially affect their function, forcing operators to increase repairs which decreases productivity. It can affect structural integrity and therefore cause accidents. “Extreme environments demand more,” said Andrew Radnor, Sales Manager at Nord-Lock Group. “Corrosion will occur sooner or later and can jeopardize the whole application, not just the bolted joint.”

Although 1,000 hours is the official number released by Nord-Lock, this is just the minimum amount of time Nord-Lock steel washers with zinc flake coating by Delta Protekt can withstand corrosion in a salt spray test. The quality testing that the group does as part of ensuring its high-quality standards clearly shows that the washers generally endure much longer. “We have perfected our coating process so that we can guarantee 1,000 hours. But if you look at the results of the salt spray tests that we do every week, the washers on average do endure over twice as long in the salt spray chamber before any signs of corrosion occur,” said Anders Knutsson, Coating and Corrosion expert at Nord-Lock Group. According to ISO 12944-6:2018, 1,000 hours in a salt spray chamber corresponds to at least C4 High or C5 Medium conditions.

The Nord-Lock standard range includes Nord-Lock Original Washers and X-Series washers with standard and enlarged (SP) outer diameter and Steel Construction (SC) Washers. High corrosion resistance for such a large range of washers allows customers to secure applications when facing a wide variety of challenges. This is especially helpful when the industry uses galvanised bolts which, combined with Nord-Lock steel washers, provide a very high corrosion resistance for the whole assembly.

Big cities are facing difficulties with a high level of pollution. In some parts of the world, corrosion is also propelled by a humid climate. “The high quality of the coating on the Nord-Lock washers allows us as a company to offer one washer to fit all the scenarios for steel,” Radnor said.

A stable production with rigorous process controls is the most important ways to ensure that customers do not encounter problems in the field. “Our testing facilities with state-of-the-art equipment in Europe, United States and Asia, combined with our collaborations with external test centers, allow customers all over the world to know that they can always rely on our quality,” Radnor said. “We also do customer specific tests if for example a specific assembly needs verification we can then put it in our spray chamber and test it.”

Nord-Lock washers made of 254 SMO are specifically developed to protect bolted joints in saltwater applications. Washers made from Alloy C-276 are the most reliable for acidic environments. Nord-Lock engineering services provides material and product selection guidance to ensure the best solution for every application.

The neutral salt spray test (NSST according to ISO 9227) is one of the most established corrosion testing methods in the industry. It was designed to test the resistance of materials and surface coatings against corrosion, by exposing them to high concentrations of salt over a specific period of time. The test itself is conducted in a chamber with controlled atmosphere and level of corrosivity. The corrosive environment in the chamber can be altered depending on the type of material being tested. The suitability of the material or surface coating is judged by the length of time it takes for corrosion to appear.

News item from Nord-Lock

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